Marriage Certificate Signed by the Holy Rabbi Abraham Sternhartz, Grandson of Rabbi Nathan of Breslov
A Ketubah (marriage certificate) signed by the holy Rabbi Abraham Sternhartz (Shtaharinartz – "Star of the Heart"), leader of the Breslov Chassidic movement, and grandson of the great Kabbalist Rabbi Nathan of Breslov (Mahar Natan), one of the foremost students of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov and his successor in leading Breslov Chassidus after Rabbi Nachman’s passing.
The marriage took place on the 21st of Sivan, 1939, between the groom Rabbi Yonah Yitzchok Lefkowitz (Fakowich), son of Rabbi Shlomo, one of the leaders of the Shomrei Hachomos Yeshiva in Jerusalem, and the bride Chava, daughter of Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Leib Berger. The witnesses were Rabbi Gabriel B. Yonah Boimel and Rabbi Moshe B. Shlomo Cohen Katzburg.
The officiant of the marriage ceremony was Rabbi Abraham Sternhartz, who signed the certificate in his own handwriting: “I, the officiant of the marriage, Abraham Sternhartz, Star of the Heart.”
Rabbi Abraham Sternhartz (1862–1955), was a prominent leader of Breslov Chassidus in the fourth generation and the founder of the Breslov movement in Eretz Yisrael. He was the grandson and successor of Rabbi Nathan (Mahar Natan), and the son of Rabbi Naftali Hertz, who was the son of Rabbi Sheina, the son of Rabbi Nathan. Rabbi Abraham learned Torah from his grandfather, Rabbi Tzvi Aryeh, the father of Rabbi Nachman of Tcherin, a prominent student of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov.
After his marriage, Rabbi Abraham lived in Breslov and became a prominent figure in teaching the Breslov teachings during the Third Meal (Seudah Shlishit). He was appointed by his grandfather to be the Chazan (prayer leader) for the Rosh Hashanah prayers at the large gathering in Uman, where he served for fifty years.
